ADAMS COUNTY, Pa. — Before even stepping foot inside Heather Laughman’s Lake Meade home, visitors get a sense of the kind of person she is.
On the porch you'll find a cooler filled up to the brim with water and goodies, along with a sign encouraging everyone to dig in.
Laughman has been involved in the community and volunteering for as long as she can remember.
"My dad was a radio personality and a reporter in my home town of Hazelton,” Laughman explained.
“So, I would often tag along to chamber events and from a very young age. I saw the good that chamber can do for our community."
Laughman started the first all women DJ company in the area, called H-D Entertainment, LLC.
Her business led her to connect with the Chamber of Gettysburg and Adams County, where she now volunteers.
“I know how hard these ladies work and the impact and change they can make,” said Laughman. “So, it was a no brainer to become a member with my business and continue that work.”
She says it's become a full circle experience for her, as she now utilizes her business to help out the chamber.
“We'll often provide sound systems so that everyone can be heard,” Laughman explained.
She works and volunteers while juggling three boys, with the help of her loving husband.
So, it’s not hard to see why the Gettysburg and Adams County Chamber named her volunteer of the year.
“I was speechless, and it was pretty surreal to see a group of so many amazing individuals gathered for that occasion,” said Laughman.
One of her proudest moments includes putting on the beloved Gettysburg Halloween parade.
“I rallied a group of ladies and for the last two years we've been organizing that parade,” she said. “We’re making sure that tradition doesn’t die in Gettysburg."
She also plans to keep being a good neighbor to the community.
For more information on the Chamber of Gettysburg and Adams County, you can visit their website here.